When travelling abroad on your exciting Erasmus+ or Turing Scheme work/study placement, you’ll have so many opportunities to take advantage of. Not only will you be studying at a prestigious foreign university (or interning, working in your desired field) but you’ll also make new friends and socialise. Often, the allure of a party, or a special event – even drinks after university or work may tempt you away from finishing an assignment. So how do you work smarter and still achieve all that you want to from your time away from home? As the experts in Erasmus+ and the Turing Scheme, let TravelEdventures give you some of our best tips! Read on to find out more.
Top Tips to Work Smart!
1. Always prioritise the most urgent jobs first. Often, this means the tasks that you least like doing – but if you get these out of the way before you embark on anything else, you’ll feel relieved! It’s hugely satisfying to get rid of those unpleasant jobs. Of course, if a particular task is unpleasant but not a priority, you should still cover off the most important tasks first.
2. Manage your time properly. Start with the above pointer, prioritise the most important tasks first and assign time to each task, based on their complexity. Complete the important tasks first before moving onto the less important jobs. Always plan your day by organising your tasks according to importance and time you believe it will take for each – a top tip is to allow an extra 20 minutes per task, just-in-case. If you don’t need the time, just move it along or save it up so you can get to that party you want to, quicker than you anticipated.
3. Work out when you’re most productive. For example, you may well be a morning person, so get your tasks done in the morning, or you may be an evening person – reserve your most important tasks for that time of day, when you know you work best.
4. As tempting as it is, don’t multitask. Just focus on one task at a time, this stops you getting distracted and keeps your eye firmly on the job at hand. Focussing on one task is better than focussing on multiple tasks, if you do the latter, you won’t deliver an outstanding job on every task because your focus won’t be as sharp.
5. It’s fine to say no – so if you need to decline a task or a party to get on with something else, do so. You can also say not right now and plan your task for a future date. Remember your workload, anything that’s ad hoc and that doesn’t go toward your qualification won’t be as important as a task that does. To evaluate importance, before saying no, think about the impact of postponing or refusing a task, if there won’t be any repercussions, then the task isn’t important. Be assertive!
6. Understand that sometimes you will procrastinate! This is often positive; it can mean you get to think about a task in depth and perhaps come up with some new ideas and creativity. Sometimes, it’s good to let the mind wander. If you are procrastinating, allow yourself a 20-minute walk to help get your thoughts into order. A walk and a break can do wonders for clearing a crowded head of thoughts.
Some Final Words
We hope the above information helps you to make the most out of your Erasmus+ and Turing Scheme placement, whether it’s an internship or you’re studying at a foreign university. To find out more about both the EU’s Erasmus+ scheme and the UK’s Turing Scheme, get in touch with our team by clicking here.
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